Jasmine tea is made of green tea leaves that have been scented with jasmine flowers. At night, when the pleasant fragrance of jasmine flowers is at its strongest, the flowers are placed on the green tea leaves to scent them. Jasmine tea can be brewed with the scented green tea leaves alone or with some jasmine flowers added to the leaves. Jasmine flowers have aromatherapeutic effects, but the green tea leaves may cause some side effects, especially in higher doses.
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Caffeine Side Effects
While not as caffeine-rich as black tea or coffee, jasmine tea contains caffeine, which could cause difficulty sleeping, especially when consumed in large amounts. Caffeine can also trigger irritability, dizziness, heart palpitations, headaches, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea and reduced appetite. If you have high blood pressure, kidney or liver problems, stomach ulcers or anxiety, the caffeine in jasmine tea is more likely to cause side effects. It also interacts with some medications, so see your doctor before drinking jasmine tea if you're on any prescription or over-the-counter drugs.
Safe Caffeine Intake Amounts
Jasmine tea contains 25 milligrams of caffeine per 8-ounce cup. The recommended upper limit of caffeine intake is 300 to 400 milligrams daily. It would take 12 to 16 cups of jasmine tea to reach this limit, so you're unlikely to be at a risk of consuming too much caffeine with jasmine tea. If you regularly drink coffee or other beverages that contain higher amounts of caffeine, however, you may need to limit your jasmine tea intake to avoid overreaching the recommended upper limit.
Aromatherapeutic Effects
Jasmine has been used traditionally in aromatherapy for its soothing effects. A study published in the "European Journal of Applied Physiology" in 2005 found that a compound in jasmine tea called linalool produces a sedative effect when inhaled. Although this is beneficial at certain times, if you're driving or doing any other activity that requires alertness, you may want to avoid jasmine tea because of its sedative effects.
Potential Benefits
Besides the aromatherapeutic benefits of jasmine, the green tea leaves in jasmine tea offer health benefits. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, green tea may promote liver health by protecting it from damage by toxins. The caffeine and compounds called catechins found in green tea can assist in weight loss by boosting your metabolism. The antioxidants in green tea may even reduce your risk of cancer. A study published in a Chinese journal, "Zhonghua Liuxingbingxue Zazhi," in 2004 found that regular tea drinking is associated with a lower risk of stroke.
